S. 187

Tar Sands Tax Loophole Elimination Act

This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to expand the definition of "crude oil" for purposes of the excise tax on petroleum and petroleum products to include any bitumen or bituminous mixture, any oil derived from a bitumen or bituminous mixture (tar sands), and any oil derived from kerogen-bearing sources (oil shale).

The bill also authorizes the Secretary of the Treasury to classify as crude oil or as a petroleum product subject to such tax any fuel feedstock or finished fuel product transported by pipeline, vessel, railcar, or tanker truck if the Secretary determines that such classification is consistent with the definition of oil under the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 and such fuel feedstock or finished fuel product is produced in sufficient commercial quantities as to pose a significant risk of hazard in the event of a discharge.